From the morning papers:
-- Kevin Deutsch writes about the DUI arrest of Boca Raton developer Greg Talbott after he was caught napping in his Bentley after 1 a.m. Talbott sounds like a walking disaster at this point, as he's been accused of being in default on about $50 million in loans. It's tough to be a developer -- especially when the cops wake you up in the middle of the night in your car. The ensuing scuffle involved the use of a taser three times on Talbott, who also suffered a cut over his left eye.
-- The courthouse enforcer has left the building. Judge Jay Spechler resigned after he was banned from the courthouse by chief judge Tobin. Spechler for years was a top lieutenant for former chief judge Dale Ross and was known mostly as a bully and intimidator for the Ross mafia. He won't be missed much from what I hear.Only the Daily Business Review printed what I had been hearing the past couple weeks: That Spechler was under investigation by the JQC for a conflict (including nasty anonymous letters) he had with Judge Peggy Gehl, in which he disparaged her sexual orientation (can one of you guys at DBR forward me a link?).
-- And, on the journalism front, a judge will decide this morning whether to unseal the arrest report on Tony Villegas, who is accused of killing lawyer Melissa Britt Lewis in Plantation. Both the Miami Herald and Sun-Sentinel are suing for the records, God bless 'em. Note to the Plantation Police Department and State Attorney Michael Satz: Quit trashing the Sunshine Laws. This is America, not some outlying tribal area of Pakistan.
-- And from the humorous headline gaffes department, we have this from page 5B in the Sun-Sentinel: "Asphalt tree proposed between Fig Tree and center." Now what kind of sick mind would propose an "asphalt tree"? Well, turns out they meant an asphalt trail.
